13.09.2026
MotoGP 2026 - Round 14 of 22, Misano, San Marino– Race
Highlights and key moments from race day at Misano
- 3rd place for Pedro Acosta, who follows up his 2nd position from the Grand Prix of Aragon with another determined charge to the box. Red Bull KTM toast a fifth podium with the Spaniard in 2026 as Pedro rises to 5th in the championship
- Points for all KTM RC16 racers with Enea Bastianini rushing to 8th, Brad Binder going from 19th to 11th and 14th for Pol Espargaro; who completes his third competitive outing as replacement for Maverick Viñales
- Moto3 trophy glory for fast and consistent Brian Uriarte with the rookie’s third podium result of the year. Collin Veijer ranks 2nd in Moto2 for his second set of silverware of the season
The 33rd Grand Prix event to mark the black Misano asphalt was busy, competitive and engaging. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 filled slots in P7 (Pedro Acosta), P12 (Pol Espargaro), P16 (Enea Bastianini) and P19 (Brad Binder) on the grid for the 27-lap distance.
Acosta, who was 6th in the Sprint on Saturday, made a strong start and then patiently built his rhythm to draw up to the rear wheel of Jorge Martin in 4th place. Pedro studied his rival, made a well-judged move and then shadowed leaders Marc and Alex Marquez. Acosta remained in striking distance of his countrymen and only eased off on the last lap; crossing the line 2.3 seconds from the winner.
Bastianini and Binder began their trawls through the pack with effective rate of progress. Enea rallied all the way up to 8th and was very close to nailing 7th. Brad tried a late lunge on Fabio Quartararo into Turn 4 to try for 10th but was denied and rested in 11th. Espargaro began the race brightly and was on the fringe of the top ten until he had to manage his stamina through the full 27-laps. Pol scored points for the second time with 14th place.
Acosta is now top five in the championship standings with 8 rounds still to come. Bastianini is 12th and Binder holds 14th.
Red Bull Ring and home territory next. The Grand Prix of Austria will start on Friday 18 September.
Pedro Acosta, 3rd and 5th in the championship: “It’s clear the motivation doesn’t go away! I’m happy! The pace was good, the bike was working quite good but we are still missing a bit in the fast sectors. Anyway, we have to be happy and the boys really deserve it.”
Enea Bastianini, 8th and 12th in the championship: “The same [scenario]. We can go fast on Friday but many times on Saturday we don’t find the same sensation on the bike and then Sunday we are competitive. We saw it today. I did some good lap-times and I’m not surprised about it because when I have confidence and support on the front of the bike then I can do it. We need to work because we are not on top and we need to find a solution.”
Brad Binder, 11th and 14th in the championship: “11th. I tried my best from the beginning until the end but I was just not fast enough. The second half of the race was better but in the first I just didn’t have the speed. All weekend I’ve been battling to find the extra I need. It would have been nice to be a bit more competitive but next week we have Austria and it’s a track that I think will suit my style a bit more and the bike too. I hope it goes better than here. Some work to do, for sure.”
Pol Espargaro, 14th and 25th in the championship: “Very tired! I think the last eight laps were too much for me. If it was a Sprint distance then I would have been more competitive…but I was struggling. I could be fast over one lap - and Sprint - but then it was difficult. I’m 35 and I’m fighting guys that are 25! This is one of the hardest tracks. I think it will be easier for me if I am riding in Austria. We will see.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A really great comeback for Pedro. Friday started well but then we didn’t have the Sprint race we wanted. As expected, the performance came back today with the harder tire option. We were stronger and Pedro showed his level. For me it is impressive how he is improving all the time. We know he has strong points but the adaptation to different conditions and different tracks is incredible. Good outings as well for Enea in 8th and Brad in 11th and Pol showed the high level of our test team. Overall, today is a big credit for all the group around who never stopped believing.”
Grand Prix of San Marino photographs can be found HERE
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of San Marino
1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 41:13.013
2. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.657
3. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +2.326
8. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +20.858
11. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +23.905
14. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +31.972
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 274 points
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia, 274
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia, 241
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 209
12. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 92
13. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 83
22. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 10
25. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 5
KTM GP Academy
Moto3 carried promise for the KTM GP Academy. The quartet, all steering the dominant KTM RC4 – a motorcycle that has forged a clear advantage in the Constructors standings – were set to line up on the first three rows of the grid for the 20-lap race: Brian Uriarte from P2, Valentin Perrone from P4, Rico Salmela in P8 and Alvaro Carpe should have been P9 but was dropped to P21 due to a penalty for slow riding in qualifying.
The front-running group initially had seven eager trophy hunters as the Moto3 train of riders circulated Misano. The pack then splintered, and Uriarte held third while missing a tiny edge of pace to fight for the win. Max Quiles triumphed by a tender 0.021 of a second, but Brian was third (1.5 seconds in arrears) for his fourth podium of the season. Perrone and Salmela were part of the tight tussle for 4th and Valentin registered 5th while Rico managed 6th for another solid showing in his debut GP year. Carpe crashed on the first lap in Turn 4 but rode back to 17th.
Brian Uriarte: “I saw the others pulling away at the end and I had flashbacks to one of the toughest races of my life last year. This one was also really hard! Anyway, 3rd place and another podium and for sure we will learn for the future.”
Carpe and Uriarte are locked into a battle for P3 in the standings – just 5 points divide them – and Carpe only needs 15 to move up to P2. KTM have almost double the points of the next nearest Constructor.
Collin Veijer had hovered through the top five of the Moto2 sessions for most of the weekend and pushed onto the grid in P6 for the 22 laps. The Dutchman profited from a three-rider crash in the opening corner to seize the lead and set the pace for the opening quarter of the race. Collin then chased Manu Gonzalez and kept the Spaniard company for most of the distance. He then eased off the limit in the last laps to ensure his best result of the season.
Collin Veijer: “I was within one second…and could have pushed him [Gonzalez] but I was also thinking about what Niklas [Ajo, Team Manager] said before the race about finishing! That was in my head at one point and in the last four laps. I’m really happy to be on the podium again and it’s a sign we are more or less back to where we were and I’m really happy about that.”
Jose Antonio Rueda needed to work his way from P28 and from three crashes through Friday and Saturday. The Spaniard finished the race with 21 with a Long Lap penalty.
The second race of the weekend for the 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup opened Sunday’s program. The KTM RC 250 R ROOKIES bikes were pushed onto the grid, and for 15 laps provided more tense action and close competition. FIM JuniorGP star Carlos Cano was able to beat American Kristian Daniel by the slenderest of margins and celebrate his second victory of the campaign. There was also a notable podium for German Flynn Kratochwil in 3rd. The Rookies championship concludes next week at Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of San Marino
1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team 33:42.713
2. David Almansa (ESP) KTM +0.021
3. Brian Uriarte (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1.343
5. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +12.258
6. Rico Salmela (FIN) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +12.303
9. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team +21.867
17. Alvaro Carpe (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +26.356
World Championship standings Moto3
1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 281 points
2. David Almansa (ESP) KTM, 174
3. Alvaro Carpe (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 159
4. Brian Uriarte (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 154
5. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 138
6. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 114
10. Rico Salmela (FIN) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 70
Results Moto2 Grand Prix of San Marino
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 34:57.913
2. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo +2.451
3. Barry Baltus (BEL) +4.692
9. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team +11.408
21. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +38.751
DNF. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 232.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (ESP) 185
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) 157.5
5. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 139
6. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 137
10. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 75.5
18. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 27
PRESS CONTACT
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E: evangelia.sissis@ktm.com